Interest in Different Languages
Discover 'Interest' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'interest' holds a significant place in our daily conversations and thoughts. It represents a feeling of curiosity or concern, or the money you earn from investments. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of life, from personal hobbies to business transactions. Understanding the translation of 'interest' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural appreciation.
Did you know that the word 'interest' has its roots in Latin, with 'inter' meaning 'between' and 'esse' meaning 'to be'? This historical context highlights the word's original meaning, which referred to the state of being between or amidst. Over time, the word evolved to represent the modern concepts we're familiar with today.
If you're someone who loves learning new languages or delving into different cultures, knowing the translation of 'interest' can be a fun and enlightening experience. Here are a few examples:
- French: intérêt
- Spanish: interés
- German: Interesse
- Mandarin: 兴趣 (xìngqù)
- Japanese: 興味 (kōmi)
Interest
Interest in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | belangstelling | ||
| The word "belangstelling" ultimately derives from "stellen" or "stellen" in Middle Dutch or "stellen" (to set up) in Old High German. | |||
| Amharic | ፍላጎት | ||
| The word ፍላጎት is derived from the verb ፍለግ, meaning "to desire" or "to seek". | |||
| Hausa | sha'awa | ||
| The Hausa word sha'awa can also mean 'desire' or 'inclination'. | |||
| Igbo | mmasị | ||
| The word "mmasị" also means "concern" or "importance" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | mahaliana | ||
| In the Malagasy language, the word "mahaliana" can also refer to the interest paid on a loan or investment. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chidwi | ||
| The word "chidwi" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is a compound of "ku-dya" (to eat) and "chi-wi" (something sweet), and also refers to a honeybee. | |||
| Shona | kufarira | ||
| In some Shona dialects, "kufarira" can also mean "to love" or "to care for". | |||
| Somali | xiisaha | ||
| Xiisuhu is also the Somali word for 'flower' or 'nature'. Its use as a synonym for 'interest' can be traced back to the importance of nature and its resources in traditional Somali culture. | |||
| Sesotho | thahasello | ||
| The word "thahasello" in Sesotho also means "desire" or "wish". | |||
| Swahili | hamu | ||
| The word "hamu" in Swahili can also refer to "attention" or "concern". | |||
| Xhosa | inzala | ||
| In isiXhosa the word "inzala" comes from the word "zala" meaning "to give birth", referring to the idea of increasing or multiplying. | |||
| Yoruba | anfani | ||
| The word "anfani" in Yoruba, meaning "interest," possibly derives from the Arabic borrowing "fanni," meaning "craft" or "profession." | |||
| Zulu | inzalo | ||
| The Zulu word "inzalo" can also refer to a person's descendants or offspring. | |||
| Bambara | nafa | ||
| Ewe | didi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | inyungu | ||
| Lingala | likebi | ||
| Luganda | obwagazi | ||
| Sepedi | kgahlego | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mfasoɔ | ||
Interest in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فائدة | ||
| The Arabic word "فائدة" can also refer to a benefit, advantage, or utility. | |||
| Hebrew | ריבית | ||
| The Hebrew word "ריבית" derives from the root "רב" ("increase"), denoting accrual. | |||
| Pashto | علاقه | ||
| علاقه also means "relation" and "attachment" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | فائدة | ||
| The Arabic word "فائدة" can also refer to a benefit, advantage, or utility. | |||
Interest in Western European Languages
| Albanian | interesi | ||
| The word "interesi" in Albanian can also refer to "concern" or "regard for something or someone." | |||
| Basque | interesa | ||
| The word "interesa" in Basque, meaning "interest," can also be spelled "enteresea" to mean "concern, care; attention, thought, consideration, regard." | |||
| Catalan | interès | ||
| Catalan "interès" can also refer to a specific amount of time one has been involved with a topic. | |||
| Croatian | interes | ||
| In Croatian, "interes" also means "passion, involvement, or participation." | |||
| Danish | interesse | ||
| In Danish, "interesse" can also mean "concern" or "relevance". | |||
| Dutch | interesseren | ||
| The Dutch word "interesseren" is derived from the Latin word "interesse," which means "to be present or concerned with. | |||
| English | interest | ||
| The word "interest" comes from the Latin "interesse," meaning "to be present or concerned with," and has retained this sense in the modern usage of the term. | |||
| French | l'intérêt | ||
| The word "l'intérêt" in French can also mean "the advantage" or "the benefit". | |||
| Frisian | rinte | ||
| Rinte and rinte are both derived from Old Frisian *rinta meaning "that which is run" and are related to English "rent". | |||
| Galician | interese | ||
| In Galician, "interese" can also refer to a "plot of land". | |||
| German | interesse | ||
| In German, "Interesse" can also mean "sympathy" or "liking". | |||
| Icelandic | áhugi | ||
| Áhugi can also mean hobby or special interest. | |||
| Irish | leas | ||
| The Irish word "leas" means "care, favour, advantage, benefit" and is also used to refer to a wife. | |||
| Italian | interesse | ||
| The Italian word "interesse" also means "affair" or "business". | |||
| Luxembourgish | interesséieren | ||
| Maltese | interess | ||
| "Interess" in Maltese comes from the Italian "interesse" and also means "aim" or "purpose" | |||
| Norwegian | renter | ||
| Renter is the Norwegian word for interest (money). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | interesse | ||
| The Portuguese word "interesse" derives from the Latin "inter-esse", meaning "to be present or involved in", and has come to denote a variety of meanings, including concern, importance, and financial profit. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ùidh | ||
| Scots Gaelic "ùidh" derives from the Old Irish "úas, | |||
| Spanish | interesar | ||
| In addition to its monetary sense, 'interesar' can also mean 'to be interesting', stemming from the Latin 'interesse', meaning 'to concern'. | |||
| Swedish | intressera | ||
| The word "intressera" in Swedish derives from the Middle Low German "interesse" meaning "matter of concern". | |||
| Welsh | diddordeb | ||
| The Welsh word "diddordeb" has its origins in the phrase "did wrth y deb" or "to come to an end," implying a state of completion or satisfaction. | |||
Interest in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цікавасць | ||
| The Belarusian word "цікавасць" is derived from the verb "цікавіцца" meaning "to be interested in" and also has the meaning of "curiosity". | |||
| Bosnian | kamata | ||
| The word "kamata" can refer to other concepts as well, such as "gain" or "profit" | |||
| Bulgarian | лихва | ||
| The word "лихва" derives from a Slavic root meaning both "growth" and "usury" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | zájem | ||
| The word "zájem" also has the meaning of "concern" or "engagement" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | huvi | ||
| "Huvi" is derived from the Proto-Uralic root "*huwe" and also means "hobby" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | kiinnostuksen kohde | ||
| "Kiinnostuksen kohde" (interest) is literally "object of interest" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | érdeklődés | ||
| The word "érdeklődés" comes from the verb "érdekel" (it interests), which derives from the Middle Turkish word "arıklamak" meaning "to seek, to look for". | |||
| Latvian | interese | ||
| The word 'interese' is borrowed from German and can also mean 'hobby', 'concern'. | |||
| Lithuanian | palūkanų | ||
| The word "palūkanų" comes from the root "luk", meaning "to bend", and originally referred to the interest charged on a loan as a form of compensation for the lender's "bending" of his or her wealth. | |||
| Macedonian | интерес | ||
| The Macedonian word "интерес" also means "benefit" or "advantage" and is cognate with the English word "interest". | |||
| Polish | zainteresowanie | ||
| The word "zainteresowanie" is derived from the Latin word "interesse", which means "to be involved in". | |||
| Romanian | interes | ||
| The Romanian word "interes" comes from the Latin word "interesse" which means "to be present between", hence the secondary meaning of "relationship"} | |||
| Russian | интерес | ||
| In Russian, "интерес" has an additional meaning of "curiosity". | |||
| Serbian | камата | ||
| The word "камата" can also refer to the usury or profit gained from lending money. | |||
| Slovak | úrok | ||
| The word "úrok" in Slovak also means "harvest" or "yield", highlighting its original connection to agricultural practices. | |||
| Slovenian | obresti | ||
| The word "obresti" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *obьrьstъ, meaning "growth" or "profit." | |||
| Ukrainian | інтерес | ||
| "Інтерес" comes from the verb "інтиригувати" - "intrigue" | |||
Interest in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | স্বার্থ | ||
| It can also mean self-interestedness or personal gain, but has a nuanced meaning beyond financial interest alone | |||
| Gujarati | રસ | ||
| "રસ" can also mean "juice", "taste", or "pleasure" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | ब्याज | ||
| In Hindi, "ब्याज" also means "bias" or "prejudice". | |||
| Kannada | ಆಸಕ್ತಿ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಆಸಕ್ತಿ" can also mean "inclination", "curiosity" or "concern". | |||
| Malayalam | താൽപ്പര്യം | ||
| Marathi | व्याज | ||
| "व्याज" also denotes "fraud" and in some contexts also refers to a "false claim" to establish an "injustice" that does not exist. | |||
| Nepali | चासो | ||
| The word "चासो" in Nepali shares its etymology with the Sanskrit word "चास" meaning "desire" or "curiosity" | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਿਲਚਸਪੀ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word "ਦਿਲਚਸਪੀ" (dilchaspi) not only means "interest" but also encompasses the concept of "fondness" or "inclination" towards something. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උනන්දුව | ||
| The word "උනන්දුව" means "interest" in Sinhala. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "उत्कण्ठा" (utkaṇṭhā), which means "eager desire" or "longing". | |||
| Tamil | ஆர்வம் | ||
| ஆர்வை அருப்பலியா பாறக்கராதன்னா துதிரு சாலம் போடிய ஒலு என்மு கட்ளு அலிவோம். | |||
| Telugu | ఆసక్తి | ||
| In Telugu, "ఆసక్తి" not only means financial "interest" but also encompasses "attraction," "inclination," and "desire." | |||
| Urdu | دلچسپی | ||
Interest in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 利益 | ||
| Chinese "利益" derives from "利", a tool used to reap rice, which represents financial profit but is often extended to include personal, cultural, and political advantages. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 利益 | ||
| 利益 (lìyì) can also mean "benefit" or "advantage." | |||
| Japanese | 興味 | ||
| "興味" (interest) is used to express a wide range of meanings, from simple curiosity to passionate devotion. | |||
| Korean | 관심 | ||
| The word "관심" (interest) in Korean also means "concern" or "attention." | |||
| Mongolian | хүү | ||
| Although хүү primarily means "interest" in Mongolian, it has a secondary usage to refer to a child, which is often used affectionately | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အကျိုးစီးပွား | ||
Interest in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bunga | ||
| In Malay, "bunga" also refers to a gift of gratitude, and in Javanese it can additionally mean a flower. | |||
| Javanese | kapentingan | ||
| In Javanese, "kapentingan" also denotes "attention," "care," or "concern."} | |||
| Khmer | ចំណាប់អារម្មណ៍ | ||
| Lao | ຄວາມສົນໃຈ | ||
| Malay | minat | ||
| The word "minat" is derived from the Arabic word "minhah" or "niyyat," meaning "intention" or "desire." | |||
| Thai | น่าสนใจ | ||
| The Thai word "น่าสนใจ" (interest) literally means "interesting face". | |||
| Vietnamese | quan tâm | ||
| “Quan tâm” also means “to care for” or “to pay attention to” someone or something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | interes | ||
Interest in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | maraq | ||
| The word "maraq" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Arabic word "marāq (مَرَاق)", meaning "curiosity, desire, or eagerness," and is also used to refer to "income" or "profit" in some contexts. | |||
| Kazakh | қызығушылық | ||
| Kyrgyz | пайыздык | ||
| In Persian, "paye" is a loanword from French meaning "pay, stipend" and is also a synonym of "fa'yda" (interest). | |||
| Tajik | фоиз | ||
| The word "фоиз" can also mean "percent" or "proportion". | |||
| Turkmen | göterim | ||
| Uzbek | qiziqish | ||
| The word "qiziqish" is derived from the Persian verb "qiziganidan", meaning "to be heated" or "to be excited". | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆسۈم | ||
Interest in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoihoi | ||
| In Hawaiian, "hoihoi" can also mean "to call out" or "to make a noise". | |||
| Maori | paanga | ||
| The word "paanga" can also mean "usury". | |||
| Samoan | tului | ||
| The word "tului" can also refer to a loan or debt, or it may be a noun, referring to a creditor. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | interes | ||
| The Tagalog word "interes" can also refer to "meaning", "purpose", or "importance", similar to its English derivation from the Latin interest.} | |||
Interest in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | munaña | ||
| Guarani | virumemby | ||
Interest in International Languages
| Esperanto | intereso | ||
| "Intereso" also refers to a part of a sum which is to be repaid to a creditor along with the sum borrowed (known as "principal") but is itself not included in the principal. | |||
| Latin | rem | ||
| The Latin word "rem" can also mean "thing" or "property" and is related to the word "res" meaning "thing". | |||
Interest in Others Languages
| Greek | ενδιαφέρον | ||
| The term also conveys "what is in between", which may have originally referred to the "interest" in the middle of a deal. | |||
| Hmong | paj | ||
| The word 'paj' in Hmong also means 'share' or 'profit' | |||
| Kurdish | zem | ||
| In the context of money, zem also refers to the amount of money paid or charged in addition to the principal sum. | |||
| Turkish | faiz | ||
| In Turkish, "faiz" also means "surplus" or "excess", deriving from the Arabic word "fayz" meaning "abundance" or "overflow". | |||
| Xhosa | inzala | ||
| In isiXhosa the word "inzala" comes from the word "zala" meaning "to give birth", referring to the idea of increasing or multiplying. | |||
| Yiddish | אינטערעס | ||
| אינטערעס derives from the German "interesse" meaning "participation" and the Latin "interesse" meaning "to be among or between." | |||
| Zulu | inzalo | ||
| The Zulu word "inzalo" can also refer to a person's descendants or offspring. | |||
| Assamese | সুত | ||
| Aymara | munaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सूद | ||
| Dhivehi | ޝަޢުޤު | ||
| Dogri | दिलचस्पी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | interes | ||
| Guarani | virumemby | ||
| Ilocano | interes | ||
| Krio | bisin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | حەز | ||
| Maithili | सूद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯟꯗꯣꯏ | ||
| Mizo | duhzawng | ||
| Oromo | fedhii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଗ୍ରହ | ||
| Quechua | munay | ||
| Sanskrit | अभिरुचिः | ||
| Tatar | кызыксыну | ||
| Tigrinya | ወለድ | ||
| Tsonga | tsakela | ||